BRIDGETON — The only wider smile than Gail Robinson belonged to Briann Greenfield at the Bridgeton Library Friday night.

Robinson, former director of the library, was flitting around like the old days as a host for the Smithsonian Institute's display of Hometown Teams.

Greenfield, the executive director of the New Jersey Council For The Humanities, was ecstatic at Bridgeton's response for being a host for a project that will go nationwide, but came to New Jersey this year because of the Super Bowl and Special Olympics here.

"It's exciting that the local community has built around this exhibit," praised Greenfield.

Why a sports exhibit?

"The Smithsonian chose that," she said. "One, sports is a different way of looking at history and, two, more functionally, we want to help libraries and other social institutions do their programming."

Bridgeton is as deeply rooted as anybody. Witness the jam-packed hall of fame looking for a bigger venue.

There are displays popping up all over the area.

The All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey behind Jim Hursey Stadium has its own display of local sports memorabilia set up in addition to its regular offerings.

Gallery 50 hosted a display for the whole month of June.

During July and August, you can see a storefront exhibit of Hall of Famer Goose Goslin, courtesy of Cliff Jones, at 21 E. Commerce St.

A Seabrook sports history display is a storefront exhibit at the Ashley McCormick Center, 40-44 E. Commerce St.

When Penny Watson, of Watson & Henry Associates, wrote the proposal for Bridgeton, she was able to include the 47-year-old Bridgeton Invitational Baseball Tournament that starts Aug. 1, as well as the Cohansey River Kayak Challenge that is part of the CrabFest and RiverFest on Aug. 23.

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"It's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. Desire, determination, discipline, sacrifice. Put these all together and even if you don't win, how can you lose?"

— Jesse Owens,

Olympic champion

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The display at the library is more generic in nature, including only a local 1962 Bridgeton High School yearbook.

One of the unique displays is a three-tier metal bleachers with seat cushions.

On the cushions are printed questions.

You open the cushion to find the answer.

Somehow, an "East Vineland" cushion snuck in.

There is a screen showing videos, but no one locally responded with any, so a gym in Kentucky gets exposure.

National heroes like Jesse Owens and Bob Cousy are part of static displays that offer their takes on the value of sports.

A baseball card display jolted the memory of John Simons.

"Gus Zernial," he threw out of the old Philaderlphia A's. "And Ferris Fain."

Fain was traded for Zernial, offered a fan.

"No, they played on the same team," said Simons, who remembers being taken to his first Phillies game by his grandmother "because she wanted to show me how Richie Ashburn's hat flew off every time he turned around and chased a flyball."

"Look, they chose President Obama's favorite team," said Paul Ritter III, pointing to the Cubs display.

When will we know if it's a success?

"It is a success already," said Alexis Seeley, munching on her second cookie and who hosted the Gallery 50 exhibit.

The ribbon-cutting included Assemblywoman Celeste Riley and the young son of a former library employee, 6-year-old Ricky Pantaleon Jr.

"I'm encouraged that we had the workers to put the exhibit together," she said. "I'm encouraged that we wrote the grant. And encouraged that we had the money to support it."

Giddy Gail Robinson said it was put together in five hours, "despite the fact that the instructions were found in the middle of the 18th case.

"It is so big, it came in a Mayflower moving van."

Bert Doremus, Maggie Demarco and Bob Watson, with only an allen wrench and Phillips screwdriver put together something that another city needed five days to produce.

"I love the cupcakes," said Greenfield, when asked to speak. "And we have exciting weeks ahead as exhibits appear in the city. We are happy to be a partner."

"All we had to say was yes," added Mayor Albert Kelly. "You did the grant and the whole process. I hope everyone in the city gets a chance to do this."

Kelly remembered when he first saw Air Jordan sneakers, one of the exhibits, "and I still have hundreds of baseball cards."

John Simons, of Save The Library! fame, said he did, too, until his family moved and his card collection disappeared.

Friday night, the five trays cookies and Gail Robinson's smile eased his pain.

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"Sports gives your life structure and discipline and genuine, sincere pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide."